Newspapers / Meredith College Student Newspaper / Oct. 19, 2005, edition 1 / Page 4
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CAMPUS FEATURES October 19,2005 3 Study Abroad Diary in Angers, France Photo courtesy of Genevieve Boisvert A famous scene from downtown Angers at the Place de Rallment. This house is indicative of the older style houses niost commonly found in Bretagne, but also in the Loire regions. GENEVIEVE BOISVERT Contributing Writer Hello again Angels! Some of the best things you learn about a culture you leam from sheer obser vation. There are so many things in this world we don't see in the confines of our comfy American borders. Before I traveled abroad, I didn't nearly understand the interesting thing that is the world in which we live. It was such a daunting thought, leaving home. I mean, you’d have to travel over this big pond-like thing and step out of good familiar Tar-Heel soil to set foot on the ground of a country you've only seen in movies and heard of in fairy tales. Some peo ple figure that they see the movie Amelie and “voila”— they know everything there is to know about surviving in France. The truth is that Amelie is just a good movie in which you get to see the nice parts of Paris and a shy young woman who is eccen tric by any culture’s stan dards. Although it is true that you see a little of what the French might be like, it can not be the sole basis for your understanding the French. If my two years at Meredith have taught me anything at all, it is that you can’t fully understand anything until you EXPERIENCE IT! There are so many things you leam from a culture by living in it. I’ve only been here for a little over a month, and I’ve only had a taste of a culture that has liter ally been in formation since Pre-history. I mean, some of the world’s most renowned painters are French! And where are some of the old est known wall paintings in the world? That's right; they are in Lascaux, France. What I mean to say is there’s obviously something innate about culture, and the French live up to theirs. It’s in their language, their architecture, their art, and their SHOP PING! Of course, we were bound to have this as a topic at some point...Not many people that I know back home can say that they’ve been shopping in a real au thentic 100% French bou tique (and there are some great ones, too; trust me). The French word for “size” is “taille” (like tailor), which I didn't know at first, or had forgotten at some point. So thiiiking “taille” was like “tail” I spent about 20 min utes looking for the petite length jeans. The happy end ing was I eventually found the right jeans, but my eyes must have been as wide as the first time I saw a French man sporting “man-capris” (the hobbit-like wardrobe of many a European male). The sizes here aren’t exactly lit eral, but when you see a pair of size 40 jeans, you nearly think you’re in the men’s section. The first time I went shopping in Angers, I nearly went into shock fi'om see ing the size label on the pair of jeans that fit me. French sizing charts are as differ ent fi’om American ones as Celsius is from Fahrenheit: my American 7.5 shoes are really a European size 38, and my American size 10 jeans equal a French size 40. I still haven’t figured out the bra and t-shirt sizes. It’s a great time though, shopping in a designer French store. You really see a preview of what styles are going to be in fashion in the United States within the next two years. The first time I was “let loose” onto French streets, I remember thinking some thing like, “Is that the style now? We’re so behind the times back home!” It’s just another one of those cultural wonders that everyone mar vels at. Here’s a tip from the land of the roosters and cheese: the dress over the jeans look is what every one is doing, and don’t for get your scarf! Not winter scarves, but the long, soft cotton pashminas in every color. I bought six in Flor ence, Italy. What can I say? I'm a sucker for scarves. Grocery shopping is dif ferent, too! Every Saturday, the people of Angers come out to the market in “Centre Ville” to buy and sell their goods and services. The best things about these markets are the fresh produce and the flowers. There’s really something to be said about walking by a table and being able to smell fresh spices or taste free portions of Mango fresh from South America (shipped by plane). The gro cery stores here are interest ing unto themselves. Gen erally, the French take their own bags (which are huge) with them to the “super marches” to place and carry what they want to purchase. It’s a lot nicer than hauling around three plastic bags that will break on the way to your car or fumbling with paper bags from the B and G lot to Stringfield. Plus, you get to keep and reuse your bag. Some stores have at tendants in the produce isle ready to assist you in picking the right apple or the nicest grapes. Think about it; it’s nice to know the person who touches your plums and pears. Milk isn’t always in the fridge because its pack aging can be kept in any temperature until you open it (kind of like mayonnaise). It lasts forever, too. My favor ite thing about French gro cery stores is that the food is almost always healthier and cheaper. You can buy twice as much yogurt for the same price in the States, and good bread is the best deal. Bad- for-you foods that we all love like potato chips, and high: sugar frosted cereals (I’m looking at you cocoa puffs!) are much more expensive than back home (that’s one way of protecting the popu lation from those nasty carb- cravings). Also, shopping in France is exciting for an other reason—while you’re shopping, you’re studying your vocabulary and using it right away. The French like their bread harder than we tend to in the States. In fact, they call that wonder bread stuff “Americ^ bread,” and it often goes bad on the shelf It’s also more expensive than the bread fi'om the boulange- rie (bakery). The best and most different I item as far as shopping be tween the US and Europe is that unlike in the US where we have these great super stores for purchasing frozen pizza, a hammer, Sudafed, toilet paper and school sup plies without walking three feet, you essentially have to go to a different store for ev erything you want to buy in Europe. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Gasp! No Target?” Some places do have sort of mini malls with four or five different stores in one building, and there are some stores that have ev erything, but going to those places isn’t getting the full French shopping experience. It's more fun to go into dif ferent stores; you see more and you are able to say, “I've experienced it!” Hope Mid terms went well. Love from the land of crois sants, chateaux, and cafe, Genevieve Boisvert Pholo courtesy of Genevieve Boisvert
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